A Rising Star

Ellie, 13, has been singing since she was 7 but it was at Sing City, a competition for young people in Nottingham City, that she performed in front of an audience for the first time.

Ellie’s mum found out about the competition and told her she should go for it. Ellie sang in front of an audience for the first time at the Heats, went through to the final and ended up winning! She was one of the youngest entrants that year and said she had not been expecting it at all!

A month later, she was performing at the beautiful Albert Hall to an audience of 800+ people. “I was terrified,” she admitted but her voice did not betray any anxiety. Since then, Ellie has come a long way. After Sing City she was introduced to Band Factory, a programme that provides rehearsal space and professional guidance to young people, helping them form bands and connecting them to other professionals in the music industry. Through Band Factory and her fantastic singing teacher (who has been teaching Ellie since she was 7), Ellie has been able to get gigs around the city.

Ellie continues to attend Band Factory and is currently helping other participants with performance and singing as part of her Duke of Edinburgh volunteer hours. She performs around the city as a solo artist as well as part of a duo with Matthew Baggaley (another Sing City winner and Band Factory member).

An avid hard rock fan, Ellie enjoys singing a range of different styles and is always on the lookout for new music. She is also trying her hand at writing songs and is excited about what the future holds.